The Georgia basketball team hasn’t had a winning SEC season since 2016. Arkansas basketball has made three straight Sweet 16s.
Guess which team is favored to win Wednesday.
Well, if you’ve been following in the 2023-24 season, you wouldn’t be surprised to know the numbers have the Bulldogs with the advantage. In fact, according to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, Georgia has a 69% chance of beating Arkansas in Athens in both teams’ second SEC game of the year.
The Razorbacks’ five losses have come to four expected NCAA Tournament teams and another, North Carolina-Greensboro, that could be. Georgia’s three losses are all to teams expected to make the Dance, too.
The difference is lately. The Bulldogs have won nine straight games dating back to November 19, including victories over power-conference teams Florida State, Georgia Tech and Missouri. Arkansas, on the other hand, is coming off a Bud Walton Arena record for margin of defeat at the hands of Auburn.
Wednesday’s game is not technically a must-win for the Razorbacks considering how many SEC games remain this season. But it’s hard to imagine that if they can’t beat a Georgia team predicted to finish near the bottom of the conference that the Hogs will be able to overcome such a poor winter.